Hey all (especially emass and brendan),
I'm interested in getting one of the new Alpine head units that can control the IPOD (using the KCA-420i).

I DO NOT however want to mess up the exisiting equipment - meaning i dont want to have to replace the sub and I want to retain the functionality of the AUX input.

After reading Brendan's article -
http://elementownersclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7724 could someone take a look at this unit and tell me if it will work? Alpine CDA-9833
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-zZf8QGmqRz4/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?a=&s=0&cc=01&g=62700&id=features_and_specs&i=500CDA9833

It says it has three 4volt preamp outputs so will these work with the sub?

Also does anyone have any idea how the AUX input will work when used in addition to the IPOD controller? It seems Alpine makes "splitters" to hook up multiple devices (changers and "aux" devices), but they cost more than the IPOD controller! Any advice would be appriciated.

Thanks!
-Paul

as long as you have 4 volts or more pumping out, you will be fine. I installed the adapter with an alpine head unit that only put out 2 volts so I had to get a seperate amp to power the woofer and it was a huge pain.

If you get a head unit that puts out 4 volts, it's super simple, just splice a few RCA plugs into the woofer lines and plug it into the back of your head unit and you will be good to go.

The iPod adapter cable can go from the adapter into your glove compartment where your iPod can safely be tucked away, recharging as you play your tunes through a very nice sounding head.

So is this the preferred method, when you have a decent HU? In this scenario, you bypass the amp altogether and run power to the 7 speakers directly from the HU? Is this because the Alpine's outputs are as good as the stock amp, making it useless to integrate the two (the stock amp and the Alpine)?

I have done this exact same modification for my aftermarket headunit. Here's how you do it:

First of all, you want to run 6 speakers from your headunit:

Left Front
Right Front
Left Rear
Right Rear
Left Tweet
Right Tweet

To do this, you will either have to run all new wires to your speakers, or you can bypass the stock amp and use the existing wire. Here's an FAQ I wrote up on bypassing the stock amp:

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10869

You will still be running yout stock sub off the amp. The only things you are bypassing from the amp are the 6 speakers listed above.

Next, you will have to splice into your sub connector (the one that plugs into the stock headunit...its a one of the small plugs (the other small plug is the AUX input...we'll get to that later). If you follow this diagram:

http://home.comcast.net/~derek-kelly/element/audio/eaudint.jpg


at the bottom you will see the red w/ blue stripe and red w/ white stripe'd wires (the mono sub wires) leading into an RCA plug. An RCA plug has two sets of wires - one for shielding (the negative) and one inside the shielding (the positive). This will make complete sense once you have it in your hand. Separate the shielding and the internal wire's (since you dont want positive and negative touching). Take the red w/ blue wire and connect that to the positive wire on the RCA plug. Connect the red w/ white wire to the negative set of wires in the RCA plug.

You should now have a fully adapted mono RCA plug. Now, get a mono splitter from Radio Shack (about 3 dollars) and make sure it is "one FEMALE to two MALES". What you are doing is making that one rca plug into a set of rca plugs to plug into the sub preout on your headunit. Just plug the single RCA that you adapted earlier into the mono splitter you bought from Radio Shack. You should now have a complete set of RCA's , ready to plug into the sub preouts of your headunit. So plug em in.

Next, you are going to want to make sure that your Stock Amp is being turned on and off properly, otherwise your sub will not function. To do this, simply take your Power Antenna for the Element and connect that to the Remote wire. In other words, on your headunit's wireharness take the blue w/ white stripe wire and connect it to the solid blue wire on the Element wiring harness.

If you connect the blue w/ white stripe wire (Headunit Wire Harness) to the blue w/ white stripe wire (Element Wire Harness), your amp will only turn on when youe antenna is on - meaning the sub will only work with the radio. The Power Antenna wire in the Element also turns the amp on and off. Most aftermarket headunits turn the antenna OFF when they access the cd or the AUX port, so this will also turn off the amp and stock sub.

So, to rememdy this, we just connect the power antenna wire (Element Wire Harness) to the Amplifier Turn On wire (Headunit Wire Harness). This will turn your amp and power antennae on the second that your headunit turns on, and it will keep it on curing CD playback and AUX usage.

Next post: The AUX Port.

The Aux Port.

I noticed that the headunit you want lists the AUX Port as "optional".
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-zZf8QGmqRz4/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?a=&s=0&cc=01&g=62700&id=features_and_specs&i=500CDA9833

You need to make sure to either choose a headunit that HAS an AUX input or make sure that you buy whatever adapter that you'll need. These adapters usually plug into the CD Changer port on the back of the headunit enabling the AUX-IN on the headunit. If you dont have that adapter, you wont be able to hook up your Ipod.

Hooking up the AUX adapter is a snap too. In the diagram posted above, notice the same "RCA Plug" swap has been done on the AUX wiring as well. Once you have modified those wires, you will have a set of RCA's that you can plug right into the adapter that you purchased for this headunit.

And thats how your AUX Port, Stock amp, and Stock sub can work with an aftermarket headunit. If you have any questions, just ask.

Sier,

Thanks a lot man. It was really kind of you to take the time to help us out and integrate all the knowledge posted previously. These instructions are extremely helpful. I'll post back once I give it a try. I assume the Alpine's amp will sound better than the stock one?

-paul

Sier,

Thanks a lot buddy! Your instruction is very simple to follow. I will attempt to change my HU soon. Thank you very much.

one thing i just noticed regarding using the Alpine iPod interface as well as maintaining the AUX input functionality: you need to get the expensive Alpine KCA-801B (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-FJbbyk6OiFA/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?i=500KCA801B) NOT the cheaper Alpine KCA-121B (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-FJbbyk6OiFA/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?i=500KCA121B&search=KCA%2D121B) because I believe the Alpine KCA-420i (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-FJbbyk6OiFA/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=235950&I=500KCA420I) (iPod adapter) acts as a CD Changer, and has no pass-through cable, so you need the multiple input adapter, and then you will be able to have both the iPod adapter and an AUX. kinda stinks, as that adapter is another $80.